Variable gearing.



No. 790350. "PATE'NITED MAY 23, 1905. R. N. DYER.

VARIABLE GEARING. 1 APPLICATION FILED MAY 27.1901;

2 sums-aunt 1., J

PATE NTED MAY 23, 1905.

R. DYER. VARIABLE GEARING.- I APPLICATION FILED MAY 27,1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Witnesses; W J

UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

VARIABLE GEARING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 79.,350, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed May 27, 1901. Serial No. 62,089-

To ztZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, RICHARD N. DYER, acitizen of the United States,residing in the city of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State ofNew Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inVariable Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to variable gearing of the type described in myPatent No. 611,378, grantedSeptember 27, 1898, wherein gears ofdifferent diameters are brought successively into action withoutinterruption in the transmission of power through the gearing. Theinvention relates more particularly to an improvement upon the specialform of this type of gearing which is described in my application forpatent, Serial No. 43,323, filed J anuary 15, 1901; and its object is toreduce the size of the gearing by having the driving and drivengear-wheels mesh with the same set of wheels of different diameters andmoving such driving and driven gear-wheels simultaneously in oppositedirections. By this means the double speed reduction for each adjustmentof the gearing is secured with a single set of wheels of differentdiameters, thus reducing the length of the gearing.

The improvement further includes means for keeping the gears working atthe pitchline, independent of the mesh of the teeth of the gearing, bothduring the running of the gearing atany one of its speed adjustments andduring the shifting of the gearing from one speed to another, whichmeans does not add to the length of the gearing by the employment ofsmooth concentric and eccentric disks upon the swinging element, as inmy application for patent referred to, but acts upon the frame carryingthe swinging element by means of devices located parallel with thewheels of the swinging element.

The improvement also includes a new form of shifting device whichenables the driving and driven wheels to be shifted simultaneously inopposite directions upon the driving and driven shafts, while the wheelsof different diameters are not moved longitudinally.

The improvement further includes anew form of reversing or back gearespecially adapted to this type of gearing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a gearingembodying my present improvement. Fig. 2 is a centralvertical'longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is across-section online 3 3 in Fig. 2 looking toward the right. Fig. 4 is a similarcrosssection on line 4 4 in Fig. 2 looking toward the right. Fig. 5 is across-section through the shifting-shaft on line 5 5 in Fig. 2, theparts immediately at the point where the section is taken only beingshown. cross-section similar to Fig. 5, on line 5 5 in Fig. 2, when thetwo slides of the shiftingshaft are moved to the other limit of theirmovement. Fig. 7 is a view of the shiftingcam developed, and Fig. 8 is asectional view through theshifting-cam and gates on line 8 8 in Fig. 2looking upwardly.

A is the casing of the gearing.

B and C are the driving and driven shafts, which are parallel and have afixed position. Upon the driving and driven shafts are mounted thedriving and driven wheels D E. These wheels have extended hubs a and aresplined upon the shafts B and C so as to have a sliding movementthereon.

The swin in element of the earin is a 23 b b b single-stepped conecomposed of concentric wheels F, F, F, and F and intermediate eccentricwheels G, G, and G The gearing is shown as one having four speedadjustments; but a larger or smaller number of speed adjustments may beemployed. The cone of wheels is carried by a shaft 6, mounted inhangersc a, swinging about the axis of a fourth shaft H, upon which theshifting devices are mounted. The shaft 6 of the swinging element andthe shifting-shaft H are geared together by wheels d d so as to turn atthe same speed. The swinging element of the gearingis hung between thedriving and driven shafts, and its gear-wheels are engaged on oppositesides by the driving and driven wheels. The driving and driven wheelsare shifted simultaneously in opposite directions at the coincidentsections of the concentric and eccentric wheels of the swinging elementto effect Fig. 6 is a the shifting from one point to another of thespeed adjustment. I will now describe the means by which the driving anddriven wheels are given this lateral movement in coordination with therotation of the concentric and eccentric wheels.

Upon the extended hubs a of the driving and driven wheels are mountedsleeves e, from which extend upwardly arms a, carrying on their upperends or heads studs 9 and shoes g. These studs 9 engage with grooves h,carried by the shifting-shaft H, while the shoes 9 bear upon theshoulders h at the sides of the grooves 72/. These grooves it are formedpartly in the shaft H and partly in slides I I, which are mounted uponthat shaft and which are coupled together so as to move in oppositedirections by a gear-wheel c', journaled in a cross-slot in the shaft Hand engaging with racks c" i secured to the inner faces of the slides.The slides I I occupy each one-third of the circumference of the shaftH, and they correspond with the coincident portions of the concentricand eccentric wheels of the cone of wheels, which coincident portionsalso occupy one-third of the circumference. The other two sections ofthe shaft H, each a sixth of its circumference and corresponding withthe cam-sections of the eccentric wheels G Gr G which extend from onecoincident portion to the other of the eccentric wheels, are composed ofprojections some of which, are concentric to the axis of the shaft H andthe others, 1'', of which have a cam shape corresponding to the shape ofthe cam-sections of the eccentric wheels. At the opposite end of theshaft H, however, the concentric extensions which form a part of saidshaft occupy two-thirds of the circumference, as shown, the slides I Inot extending the entire length of the shaft. The concentric andeccentric grooves are progressively of greater radius from one end ofthe shaft H to the other. In fact, this shaft can be regarded ascarrying a series of concentric and eccentric smooth wheels havingcoincident portions corresponding with the toothed wheels of the cone,but having the coincident portions mounted on slides having areciprocating movement for effecting the lateral shifting of the drivingand driven wheels by means of straight grooves instead of employingoblique grooves for that purpose. When the gearing is running at any oneof its speed adjustments, the grooves of the slides I I register withthe grooves in the concentric extensions from the shaft Hand the pins gride in two of these grooves and hold the driving and driven wheelsagainst shifting laterally. When, however, it is desired to shift thegearing from one speed adjustment to another, the slides I I will begiven (by means of a cam J about to be described) a single completereciprocating motion equal to the Width of one of the wheels. The firsthalf of this reciprocating movement takes place while one pin is ridingover one slide and the other pin over the other slide, and the eli'ectis to move the pins in opposite directions until the grooves in theslides register with the grooves in the cam-shaped extensions j from theshaft H. The pins then run into the grooves in these cam-shapedextensions and across such extensions until they engage with the groovesin the opposite slides, when the return movement of the slides, whichtakes place while the pins are passing through the third of therevolution which they occupy, carries the pins over to the grooves inthe next set of concentric extensions jfrom shaft H. hile the pins 7 arepassing through the grooves in the cam-shaped extensions 7" from shaft Hand the shoes 1 are riding over the cam-shaped shoulders at the sides ofsuch grooves it is evident that one of the arms (1 willmove toward thecenter of the shaft l'l, while the other arm will move away from thatcenter, this movement corresponding with and taking place at the sametime as the swinging of the cone while the driving and driven wheels arepassing over the cam-shaped portions of the eccentric wheels. Themovements which are thus given to the heads of the arms 0' toward andaway from the center of the shaft H are utilized to swing the cone andmaintain the mesh of the teeth of the gearing at the pitch-lineindependent of the strain produced by the working of the teeth upon eachother. To accomplish this result, the hangers c 0 are connected togetherby bails Z: K", which are pivoted to said hangers and engage the outersides of the arms a. The arms a slide against the inner sides of thebails k Z and as these arms swing simultaneously in one direction or theother they carry the bails with them and cause the hangers c c to swingto the desired extent. By this means not only is the working of theteeth of the gearing at the pitch-line insured while the coneisuudergoing its swinging movement, but also, by the bearing of theshoes 7 upon the concentric shoulders of the grooves 71/, the working ofthe gears at the pitch-line is insured while the gearing is running atany one of its speed adjustments, and in both cases this result isaccomplished by holding the swinging element Zand two oblique groovesW1, which open out of the groove Z at diametrically opposite points andextend in the same direction obliquely across the face of the cam J thewidth of one of the cone-wheels, this oblique por- IOQ tion occupying'athird of the circumference of the cam J, then for one-sixth of thecircumference of the cam' J parallel with the groove Z, and thenreturning obliquely to the groove Z throughout one-third of thecircumference of the cam J. The grooves Z Z cross each other in theiroblique sections, as illustrated in Fig. 7. At the beginning of thegrooves Z Z are placed pivoted gates m m, which normally close the endsof the grooves Z Z, but which can be thrown across the groove Z, so asto guide a shoe running in the groove Z into either of the obliquegrooves Z Z The slide I has attached to it an arm 12, extending over thecam J and carrying upon its end a shoe it, having a limited pivotalmovement, which shoe works in the grooves of the cam J The gate m isemployed to adjust the gearing in one directionas, for instance, from alower to a higher speedwhile thegatem is employed to adjust the gearingin the other direction, as from a higher to a lower speed. In theposition of the parts shown in the drawings the gearing is at its pointof lowest speed, the driving-wheel is at the extreme rightand inengagement with the largest concentric wheel F while the driven wheel isat the extreme left and is in engagement with thesmallest concentricwheel F. The pin 9 which shifts the driving-wheel is running in theannular groove of smallest radius at the right end of the shaft H, whilethe pin 9 which shifts the driven wheel is running in the annular grooveof greatest radius at the extreme left of the shaft H. If nowthe gate onis thrown across the groove Z, the shoe a will enter the oblique grooveZ just as the pin 9 which shifts the driving-wheelD enters the sectionof the annular groove which is carried by the slide 1 and just as thepin 9 which shifts the driven wheel E is enter ing'the section of itsannular groove which is carried by the slide I. As the shoe it passesacross the first oblique section ofthe groove Z the slide I will bemoved to the right and the slide 1 to the left (looking at Figs. 1 and2) the distance of the width of one of the concentric or eccentrictoothed wheels. This sliding movement will take place while thedriving-wheel D is riding over the coincident portion between theconcentric and eccentric wheels F G and while the driven wheel E isriding over the coincident portion between the concentric and eccentricwheels F G. At the end of this movement of the slides I and I the wheelsD and. E will be on the eccen-v 'ed into the oblique groove Z 'of theopposite slides I Ithat is to say, the

ping for the driving-Wheel D will be transferred from the slide 1 to theslideIand the pin 9 for the driven wheel E will be transferred from theslide I to the slide I. The shoe n will then enter the return obliqueportion of the groove Z, and while moving through that oblique portionthe slide I will be movedto the left and the slide 1 to theright,carrying the shifting pins g for the driving anddriven wheels overto the next concentric grooves. If the gate m is kept open, thesemovements will be continued until the driving-wheel D is shifted to theextreme left and rides upon the smallest concentric wheel F and thedriven wheel E is shifted to the extreme right and rides upon thelargest concentric wheel F If, however, after the shoe n has entered thegroove Z the gate m is allowed to close, only one shifting movement.will take place, and the shoe or will after the shifting movement iscompleted continue to move around the annular groove Z. To shift thegearing from a higher to a lower speedthat is to say, to move thedriving-wheel D to the right and the driven wheel E to the left (ifthese wheels are not at their extreme positions to the right andleft)-the gate m will be opened and the shoe or will be direct- It willenter that groove when the pin 9 for the drivingwheel D is in the slideI and the pin 0 for thedriven wheel E is in the slide 1. ciprocation ofthe slides will therefore first carry the wheel D one width to the rightand the wheel E one width to the left, when the pins for these wheelswill be transferred from one slide to the other and the return movementof the slides will complete the shifting motion.

To move the gates m m, I extend the shafts of these gatesinto theinterior of the cam J and provide the inner ends of said shafts withcranks 0 0, which are connected by spring pressed rods p p with a leverK. The rods 19 p are connected with this lever by pins'and slots, sothat the movement of the lever in one direction from a central pointswings one gate Without moving the other and in the other directionswings the other gate without moving the first, while the springs uponthe rods 9 p return the gates and the lever K to a central position whenthe lever is released. As a safety device and to prevent the wrong gatefrom being opened when the gearing is at either extreme of its twoadjustments I provide levers q q, operated by spring-pins r r, whichspring-pins are inthe pathof movement of the heads of the arms a. Whenthe gearing is at the point of lowest speed adjustment, the head of thearm 0, carried by thedriven wheel E, strikes the rod r and forces thatrod outwardly, causing the end of the lever q to move up against thehandlever K and prevent the further movement of The rethe hand-lever Kin the direction to open the gate m. hen thegearing is at its highestpoint of speed adjustment, the head of the arm 0', carried by the driving-wheel D, strikes the rod 1' and forcing it outwardly moves thelever (1 up against the inner side of the handlever K, thus preventingthe further opening of the gate m.

As a reversing or back gear I provide an arrangement whereby when thedriving-wheel Dis on the largest concentric wheel F and the gearing isat its lowest point of speed adjustment the motion of the other wheelsof the cone can be reversed, so as to reverse the driven wheel E. Thisis accomplished by securing the concentric wheels F F F and theeccentric wheels G G G rigidly to the shaft I), while the concentricwheel F is mounted loosely upon a sleeve L, surrounding the shaft 5. Theadjoining faces of the wheels F and Gr are hollowed out and carrybeveled gearwheels M. The sleeve L extends into the chamber in thewheels F G and carries upon studs within that chamber beveled wheels N,which mesh with the beveled wheels M, carried by the wheels F and G Uponthe sleeve L and to the right of the Wheel F is splined a clutch-block0, moved by a lever P and having teeth 8 on opposite sides engaging withteeth t, carried by the wheel F and by the hanger 0'. Now by moving theclutch-block O to the left, so as to couple the wheel I and the sleeve Ltogether, the wheel F will be caused to turn in the same direction asthe other wheels of the cone; but if the clutch-block O is moved to theright, so as to couple the sleeve L to the hanger c, and thus hold saidsleeve against rotation, the wheel F will be caused to rotate in theopposite direction from the other wheels of the cone, and if this isdone while the driving-Wheel D is in mesh with the wheel F the resultwill be to cause the driven wheel E to be reversed in its direction ofrotation. By interlocking the lever P with the other elements of thegearing the shifting of the wheel D either onto or ofi of the wheel Fcan be prevented except when the wheel F is locked to the sleeve L androtates with the other wheels of the cone.

What I claim is 1. In a variable gearing of the type described, thecombination with a single set of gear-wheels of different diameters, ofdriving and driven toothed wheels engaging such firstnamed wheels, andmeans for transferring said driving and driven wheels simultaneously andin opposite directions, one to a larger and the other to a smallerwheel, without interruption in the transmission of power through thegearing, substantially as set forth.

2. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination withparallel driving and driven shafts having a fixed position and drivingand driven wheels carried by such shafts and sliding thereon, of theswinging element of the gearing, including a single set of wheels ofdifferent diameters, mounted between the driving and driven shafts, andmeans for transferring said driving and driven wheels simultaneously andin opposite directions, one to a larger and the other to a smallerwheel, without interruption in the transmission of power through thegearing, substantially as set forth.

3. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination with acone of toothed wheels composed of concentric and eccentric wheelshaving coincident portions, of driving and driven wheels engaging thewheels of the cone, and means for moving the driving and driven wheelssimultaneously in opposite directions at the coincident portions of theconcentric and eccentric wheels, substantially as set forth.

4. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination with theswinging cone of wheels and the driving and driven wheels movablesimultaneously in opposite directions, of a shaft parallel with thecone-shaft and having a fixed speed relation therewith, and meanscarried by said shaft for producing simultaneous movements of saiddriving and driven wheels in opposite directions, substantially as setforth.

5. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination with asingle set of gear-wheels of different diameters, and driving and driventoothed wheels engaging said first-named wheels, of means fortransferring said driving and driven wheels simultaneously and inopposite directions one to a larger and the other to a smaller wheelwithout interruption in the transmission of power through the gearinginvolving a relative swinging movement of the elements, and means forholding said elements positively in both directions and independently ofthe mesh of the teeth of the gearing while the gearing is running at anyone of its speed adjustments, whereby the working of the gears on thepitch-line will be insured, substantially as set forth.

6. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination with asingle set of gear-wheels of different diameters, and driving and driventoothed wheels engaging said first-named wheels, of means fortransferring said driving and driven wheels simultaneously and inopposite directions one to a larger and the other to a smaller wheelwithout interruption in the transmission of power through the gearinginvolving a relative swinging movement of the elements, and meansindependent of the mesh of the teeth of the gearing for producing therelative swing of said elements positively and controlling the swingingmovement in both directions, whereby the working of the gears on thepitch-line will be insured during the shifting of the gearing from onespeed to another, substantially as set forth.

'7. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination with asingle set of gear-wheels of difierent diameters, and driving and driventoothed wheels engaging said first-named wheels, of means fortransferring said driving and driven wheels simultaneously and inopposite directions one to a larger and the other to a smaller wheelWithout interruption in the transmission of power through the gearinginvolving a relative swinging movement of the elements, and means forholding the swinging element positively in both directions andindependent of the mesh of the teeth of the gearing both while theswinging element is at rest and when undergoing its swingingmovement,'whereby the working of the gears on the pitch-line will be atall times insured, substantially as set forth.

8. In a variable gearing of the type described, ashifting device forproducing simultaneous lateral movements in opposite directions, whereinare combined a rotating shaft having stationary grooved sections, twogrooved slides carried by the shaft and means for reciprocating theslides simultaneously in opposite directions, substantially as setforth.

9. In a variable gearing of the type described, a shifting device forproducing simultaneous lateral movements in opposite directions, whereinare combined a rotating shaft having stationary grooved sections, twogrooved slides carried by the'shaft, connections between the slidescausing them to move in opposite directions, a stationary cam havingoblique grooves, a shoe traveling in such grooves and connected with oneof said slides and gates on the cam for directing the shoe into saidoblique grooves, substantially as set forth.

10. In a variable gearing of the type described, a shifting device forproducing simultaneous lateral movements in opposite directions andradial movements coordinated with the lateral movements, wherein arecombined a rotating shaft having two sets of grooved stationaryconcentric and eccentric sections of progressively greater radius, twoslides carried by the shaft and working between the stationary sections,such slides having a succession of concentric grooves of progressivelygreater radius, and means for reciprocating,

the slides simultaneously in opposite directions, substantially as setforth.

11. In a variable gearing of the type described, the combination of theparallel driving and driven shafts having a fixed relation, the drivingand driven wheels sliding thereon, arms carried by the hubs of thedriving and driven shafts and turning thereon, the swinging frame, thecone of wheels carried by such frame but fixed against longitudinalmovement, the bails connected with the frame and embracing the arms ofthe driving and driven wheels, and means for giving such armssimultaneous lateral movements in opposite directions and simultaneousswinging movements in the same direction, substantially as set forth.

12. In avariable gearing of the type described, the combination of theparallel driving and driven shafts having a fixed relation, the drivingand driven wheels sliding thereon, arms carried by the hubs of thedriving and driven shafts and turning thereon, the swinging frame, thecone of wheels carried by such frame but fixed against longitudinalmovement, the bails connected with the frame and embracing the arms ofthe driving and driven wheels, the shifting shaft having grooved slidesand grooved stationary concentric and eccentric sections, the grooves ofthe slides and stationary sections being progressively of greater radiusand engaging the arms of the driving and driven wheels and a gated camfor moving the slides in opposite directions, substantially as setforth.

13. In a variable gearing of the type described, the cone of wheelshaving its end wheel connected with the adjoining wheel by an internalreversinggear and means for throwing such reversing-gear into and out ofaction, substantially as set forth.

14:. In a variable gearing of the type described, the cone of wheelshaving its largest wheel mounted to turn independently of the otherwheels of the cone, a reversing-gear connecting this wheel with theadjoining wheel of the cone, such reversing-gear being located in achamber within such wheels, and a clutch locking the independent wheelto the other wheels of the cone in one position and in the otherposition throwing into action the reversing-gear, substantially as setforth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 24th day of May, 1901.

RICHARD N. DYER.

Witnesses:

J NO. R. TAYLOR, AROHIBALD GRAY Rnnsn.

